Though modern aircraft operate mainly at altitudes between 25000-45000 ft, the cabin is pressurized to maintain an altitude between 5000-8000 ft, thereby overcoming most of the physiological problems encountered at such high altitudes. This is one of the features of air travel that makes it so suitable for the rapid transport of seriously ill patients. However, one should realize that the environment of flight is unnatural to man and thereby imposes considerable demands on the body systems.

Traveling with a Medical Condition

Guidelines for assessing guest's fitness for travel

When assessing a patient’s fitness for air travel, the effects of reduced atmospheric pressure and consequent reduction in oxygen tension must be considered. Even if pressurized aircraft the cabin pressure will be equivalent to an altitude of 5000 – 8000 feet. Although each case will be considered on its merit, the following guidelines are laid down for the treating physicians reference:

Critical heart and respiratory conditions (e.g. decompensated cardiac patients / patients with severe valvular disease / unstable angina / significant cardiac arrhythmias/severe asthma) are usually not permitted to fly. Patients with recent coronary occlusion with myocardial infarction are normally not permitted to fly within 10 days if uncomplicated. Patients who have undergone angioplasties are usually allowed to fly only after 4 days if asymptomatic. Cases of uncontrolled severe hypertension are not allowed to fly. Patients with severe bronchitis, emphysema, other conditions where respiratory exchange is compromised or may be affected by the hypoxia are permitted to fly only if arrangements are made for supplemental oxygen for use in flight and are accompanied by a medical escort. Patients with active open tuberculosis / untreated pneumothorax are not permitted to fly. Cases with tracheostomies are permitted to fly only if accompanied by medical escort and suitable equipment.

Introduction of air into body cavities for diagnostic / therapeutic purposes are allowed to fly only after 5 days of uncomplicated recovery following the procedure.

Cases of acute, major psychiatric disorder are allowed to fly only if sedated and accompanied by medical escort.

CVA / Head Injury - Permitted only after 5-14 days if stable or improving along with nursing escort.

Patients with acute contagious / communicable diseases are not allowed to fly.

Patients with fractures of the Mandilble with fixed wiring of the jaws are not allowed to fly

POP casts should be bivalved in case flying is required within the first 48 hours of their application

Peptic ulceration with hemorrhage - not permitted within 10 days of onset, except when permitted by the treating consultant. Flying may be permitted after 5 days of a MINOR laparoscopic procedure, if uncomplicated recovery. Investigative laproscopy may be accepted >24 hours provided gas is absorbed.

Post-operative cases are usually not permitted to fly within:

10 days of abdominal operations

10 days of chest surgery

10 days of head surgery

Guidelines for pregnant guest:

Duration of Pregnancy

Acceptance for Travel

Domestic flights, Dhaka, Colombo and Kathmandu

Up to 32 weeks

Expectant mother may be accepted for travel provided that there are no prior complications.

Fitness to fly certificate from her treating obstetrician and the Company Medical Department clearance is not required.

Cases of multiple pregnancy / complicated single pregnancy are accepted till the end of 32 weeks, provided she is in possession of fitness to fly certificate from her treating obstetrician. The Company Medical Department clearance is also required.

Between 33 up to 36 weeks

Expectant mother with uncomplicated single pregnancy may be accepted for travel provided that there are no prior complications.

Fitness to fly certificate from her treating obstetrician is required. The Company Medical Department clearance is not required.

Cases of multiple pregnancy / complicated single pregnancy are not allowed.

Between 37 up to 38 weeks

Expectant mother with uncomplicated single pregnancy may be accepted for travel provided that she is in possession of fitness to fly certificate from her treating obstetrician, specifying the number of weeks of pregnancy and is also accompanied by at least an MBBS doctor. The Company Medical Department clearance is also required.

Cases of multiple pregnancy / complicated single pregnancy are not allowed.

After 38 weeks

Not allowed

International flights except Dhaka, Colombo and Kathmandu

Up to 28 weeks

Expectant mother may be accepted for travel provided that there are no prior complications.

Fitness to fly certificate from her treating obstetrician and the Company Medical Department clearance is not required.

Between 29 up to 35 weeks

Expectant mother with uncomplicated single pregnancy may be accepted for travel provided she is in possession of a fitness to fly certificate from her treating obstetrician, specifying the number of weeks of pregnancy; Company Medical Department clearance is not required.

Cases of multiple pregnancy / complicated single pregnancy are accepted till the end of the 32 week, provided she is in possession of fitness to fly certificate from her treating obstetrician. The Company Medical Department clearance is also required.

Note: The certificate must be available on request and should be carried with you at the airport and during the flight in your cabin baggage. Please note that for your safety, if you choose not to carry a medical certificate, Jet Airways reserves the right to refuse boarding.

Guests are allowed to fly after 48 hours of normal delivery provided they have medical clearance. Newborns are not allowed to fly in the first 7 days of life, unless they are medically cleared by the treating neonatologist and are accompanied by at least an MBBS doctor.

Patients with Deep Vein Thrombosis should not fly till patient is stabilized on anticoagulant therapy and there are no pulmonary complications

Patient with severe anemia (Hb < 9.5 gm/dl) are not permitted to fly. However in exceptional cases, they may be permitted to fly with specialist's certificate.

Flying is not permitted for 3-6 weeks following surgery for Retinal detachment

In all cases where your fitness to fly is in doubt, please consult your treating physician prior to making the reservation. Full consultation with the airline's medical department well before the flight is important, if inconvenience / health risk to the patient / others is to be avoided. Knowledge of the principles involved & the facilities available, combined with co-operation between the guest, his / her treating physician and the airline's medical department will ensure that almost all such guests travel safely & with minimum inconvenience.

Special Note: A recently completed MEDIF form (within 10 days of the schedule date of the guest's initial departing flight ) must be submitted to the Jet Airways Medical Department at least 48 hours prior to schedule departure date. Jet Airways’ doctor's decision regarding fitness of guests to fly / requirement of medical escort will be final. If at time of embarkation the condition of the guest has further deteriorated, carriage may be refused. Any case, which Jet Airways feels might jeopardize the safety or operation of the aircraft, will not be accepted. Patients with symptoms likely to worsen during flight / cause distress or inconvenience to other guest will not be accepted. MEDIF Forms for all medical cases will have to be sent to our Medical Dept for approval.

In case of uncertainty, the Jet Airways doctor / other doctor nominated by the company may require to examine the guest and evaluate his medical records prior to giving his final decision on fitness to fly.

Guests are requested to carry all medications that they may require inflight in their hand luggage. Guests who have a medical condition are also requested to carry all details regarding their illness (including hospital discharge cards, treatment details, relevant medical history details, doctor's certificates, etc) as well as the recommended treatment in case of an anticipated emergency, in their hand luggage. It is not possible for cabin crew to refrigerate guest’s medications, & if this is required, guests should carry their own cool bag or vacuum flask.

The attendant should ensure that all items / medical equipment brought on the aircraft by the patient (needles, syringes, unused medication) are removed at the time the patient is disembarked from the aircraft.

Inform our reservation staff at the time of reservation that the guest traveling is a medically ill guest. The MEDIF Form has to be filled by the doctor treating the guest. Click here to down load the MEDIF form.

The completed MEDIF Form and a detailed certificate from the doctor, certifying other relevant medical information of the patient's illness / condition should be faxed/emailed to our Jet Airways doctors at the following numbers:

Approval of the MEDIF FORM is to be obtained from our doctors at the nearest office as mentioned above. E.g. for a guest travelling Bhuj-Mumbai-Cochin, MEDA clearance should be obtained from the Jet Airways doctor in Mumbai.

Only after obtaining clearance from our Jet Airways doctors can the guest be booked and then accepted for travel Click on the relevant form to download them:MEDIF Form

If the guest needs to travel on a stretcher, please refer the section on Stretcher.

Cautionary Note

MEDA passengers will be accepted for travel only if found "fit to travel" at the time of check-in. Prior clearance does not guarantee carriage if the condition of the guest has deteriorated after clearance has been obtained.

Cases requiring uplift of additional oxygen cylinders should submit the duly filled MEDIF form at least 48 hours in advance, so that the necessary arrangements can be made. Personal oxygen cylinders are not permitted on the aircraft, however ventilators / oxygen concentrators may be permitted on the aircraft after acquiring prior engineering and security clearances.

Limited number of oxygen cylinders are available in the aircraft for use in emergencies. Additional therapeutic oxygen can be provided on request only if 48 hours advance notice is given. Note: Aircraft oxygen cylinders can deliver oxygen only at fixed flow rates of 2 or 4 litres / minutes.

Due to safety reasons, personal oxygen cylinders will not be carried on board the aircraft.

Cases requiring oxygen should be accompanied by an escort who is familiar with the procedure of administering oxygen, or by a qualified nurse / doctor.

Elite cylinders supplying oxygen on demand are available on our Boeing 777 and Airbus 330 aircraft. If such oxygen supply is deemed fit for the patient's use by the treating physician, the same may be prescribed by clearly indicating the request in the MEDIF form. To know more Click Here

Effective December 26, 2011, Jet Airways and JetLite will charge for the Oxygen bottles provided on board. Please find below the details:

Flights

Charge Per Bottle

Short Haul Flights (Domestic India/SAARC/Gulf)

USD 60

Long Haul Flights

USD 200

Only In-Flight oxygen will be provided; guests will have to make their own arrangements for oxygen on- ground/in transit.

These charges will also apply to guests using stretchers and requiring oxygen.

This is applicable only on 9W/S2 operated flights. For interline and codeshare, the Operating Carriers’ rules will apply.

The Checked baggage allowance for the accompanying guests is as per the standard baggage policy.

Baggage allowances using the weight concept need to be manually entered on the ticket.

However, each guest will be allowed to carry only the single entitlement of hand baggage and personal articles.

Clearance from Medical Department

MEDIF clearance for all stretcher cases will be done by the Medical Department of Jet Airways at Mumbai / Delhi / Kolkata / Chennai

Guests traveling on a stretcher must be accompanied by a medical escort (doctor, with minimum MBBS) or paramedical escort (registered nurse) or non-medical escort, as per the decision of the medical department.

A fresh MEDIF form on the day of travel may be asked for in select cases. If the guest’s medical condition has deteriorated at the time of departure, permission to fly may be refused. In all cases, the decision of the Jet Airway's medical department regarding the fitness of guest to fly and the type of escort required will be final.

The MEDIF Form should be complete, accurately and legibly filled by the patient's treating doctor and faxed / emailed to the appropriate Jet Airways Medical Department at least 48 hours prior to the flight. All medical details asked for must be completed. The guest must produce a certificate from his/her treating doctor certifying that he is fit to travel by air and is free from any contagious disease as well as a detailed medical report from the treating doctor. These documents should be also faxed / emailed to the Medical Department for approval.

Jet Airways doctor on duty will certify that the guest is fit to travel and fax / email the MEDIF form back to the departure station

On the day of travel a fresh MEDIF form may be asked for in certain cases. If the guest’s medical status is noted to have deteriorated, as compared to the details provided in the MEDIF form, permission to fly may be refused.

Reporting Time

1 hour prior to departure of the flight

Relatives and guest must also request their treating physicians to refer to the 'GUIDELINES' printed on the MEDIF Form. Kindly note the following:

Due to safety reasons, personal oxygen cylinders will not be carried on board the aircraft

Cabin Staff are trained in first aid only and are not expected to render special nursing care to critically ill cases. Cabin crew is not permitted to administer injections or open physician kits, which contain life saving drugs and equipments. These kits can be opened only under instructions of Registered Medical Practitioners.

No medical support will be provided by Jet Airways. The guest will have to be accompanied by a qualified medical escort, i.e. a doctor (minimum Indian degree equivalent MBBS or US degree equivalent MD). A registered nurse or non-medical escort may be permitted in rare cases, solely at the discretion of the medical department.

Guest needs to liaise with respective Airport Manager for ambulift facilities well in advance

Ground and Transit oxygen arrangements are to be made by the guest in conjunction with the Airport manager or ground staff in liaison with AAI or the local airport governing authority.

The attendant should ensure that all items / medical equipment brought on the aircraft by the patient (needles, syringes, unused medications.) are removed at the time the patient is disembarked from the aircraft.

Jet Airways would be responsible only for the transport of the guest by air from one sector to another. Arrangements for and cost of all equipment / medications / accompanying medical escorts / ambulift facility, urine bags, diapers etc., would have to be borne by the guest.
Note

Only one stretcher case per aircraft will be permitted.

Stretcher cases will be accepted on all non-stop, direct and connecting flights provided all the flights involved are in the same ticket and are operated by 9W and S2.

Interline travel is not permitted on any other carrier except S2.

The distance between the cabin overhead panel and stretcher top cushion is 2 feet and the height of the stretcher from the floor is 3.39 feet.

The stretcher is installed as per the manufacturer's recommendations and we regret that individual requests for any alteration in installation cannot be met.

JPMiles for only one seat will be credited for the guest using stretcher, as per the booked class of travel on domestic and Gulf flights.

Carrying Life Saving Equipment on board

Carriage of Life Saving and other Medical Equipment on Board will be permitted only after getting clearances from Engineering, Security Depts: